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The lens is a bit too perfect. I love how it looks, but I miss my black chrome's quirks and flares.

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17 hours ago, kinetic said:

The lens is a bit too perfect. I love how it looks, but I miss my black chrome's quirks and flares.

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'Too perfect' isn't a problem I normally have .... 😬

Is it mainly "improvement" (as Leica would have it) in flare resistance that causes you to say this?  Or some of the other changes in the 2023 version?  I'd be interested to hear just how much you feel the flare characteristics have changed (although I realise that that is pretty subjective) and, also, just how much you think resolution away from the centre of the frame has improved (if at all).

(And I'd also be most grateful if anyone else can offer any thoughts on the question I posed in my previous post, #300 at the bottom of the previous page (no. 15) of this thread, concerning resolution of the new Summilux across the frame.)

Thanks .... Andrew

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2 hours ago, AndrewLT said:

'Too perfect' isn't a problem I normally have .... 😬

Is it mainly "improvement" (as Leica would have it) in flare resistance that causes you to say this?  Or some of the other changes in the 2023 version?  I'd be interested to hear just how much you feel the flare characteristics have changed (although I realise that that is pretty subjective) and, also, just how much you think resolution away from the centre of the frame has improved (if at all).

(And I'd also be most grateful if anyone else can offer any thoughts on the question I posed in my previous post, #300 at the bottom of the previous page (no. 15) of this thread, concerning resolution of the new Summilux across the frame.)

Thanks .... Andrew

I say it's too perfect with a bit of jest. I was shooting with a friend last weekend and she was using a few older lenses, including the same black chrome 50mm summilux I had before the new FLE2. I realize that the FLE2 "fixes" a lot of the character the black chrome had, so it's a more perfect image. It still has the beautiful blacks, color, and falloff, but it removed some of the imperfections like slightly softer edges (really not noticeable if you zoom in, but as a whole, you can kind of tell). It might be placebo, but my images shot at the same place with the same camera with the same settings with the same composition were just a tad bit lacking in character.

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Interesting, thank you all for posting comparative images.

While there are clear improvements in the v2 lens, I’m not really into close focus (I have a 35 APO Summicron for that), I won’t be selling my v1 50 Summilux ASPH, or my 0.95 Noctilux.  I love the gentle skin tones with both wide open, and the out of focus treatment is lovely with both (hadn’t noticed ninja stars until I saw the comparison shots).

One issue I see a lot is over-use of wide open apertures, where a slightly smaller aperture would be more pleasing.  While silky smooth bokeh is lovely, getting the entire subject in focus and a gentle roll-off to out of focus is more important to me.  The aperture ring is your friend - use it!  The alternatives can be jarring and confusing …

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On 5/29/2024 at 5:43 PM, kinetic said:

I say it's too perfect with a bit of jest. I was shooting with a friend last weekend and she was using a few older lenses, including the same black chrome 50mm summilux I had before the new FLE2. I realize that the FLE2 "fixes" a lot of the character the black chrome had, so it's a more perfect image. It still has the beautiful blacks, color, and falloff, but it removed some of the imperfections like slightly softer edges (really not noticeable if you zoom in, but as a whole, you can kind of tell). It might be placebo, but my images shot at the same place with the same camera with the same settings with the same composition were just a tad bit lacking in character.

Yes, I realised that that was at least partly tongue in cheek, although I guess there is a valid point, too, about the character of an image.  At any rate, I suppose you're talking about the overall effect on an image, not individual, pixel-peeping details.  

Given that this is an essentially subjective discussion, there obviously isn't a categorically right or wrong answer.  As I mentioned in my post a few days ago, I have been indecisive about this for far too long (I also waver about the CV 50mm f/1.2 Nokton) -- perhaps because I ought to be satisfied with the CV f/2.0 APO and v5 Summicron which I already have -- and it's perfectly possible that I will still be trying to decide several years hence .... 😬

(But I'd still be very interested to hear any thoughts about the resolution of the new version versus the original Asph away from the centre of the frame and not just at the edges.)

Thanks .... Andrew

 

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On 4/9/2023 at 8:20 PM, kinetic said:

I miss closer focusing from my other cameras, so I think the closer focusing would be the reason why I would switch from my 50mm lux black chrome. Even though the black chrome looks fantastic, it's still pretty heavy on my M11.

Less heavy tha I expected _ and I love the red lettering! Wonder if the close focus would offer and resolution improvements.

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On 5/30/2024 at 12:43 AM, kinetic said:

It might be placebo, but my images shot at the same place with the same camera with the same settings with the same composition were just a tad bit lacking in character.

I don't own either of the version but two things I can already tell from samples. The new version has rounder bokeh - less outline, less gritty, like melted butter. It seems the bokeh is also heavier, just as saturated and contrasty as the in focus area. Old version tend to desaturate and lighten the out of focus area with more outlines and textures.

i think people generally like melting bokeh but I love bokeh that's slightly textured.

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  • 4 weeks later...

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  • 3 weeks later...

I’d like to request more portraits be posted especially at closer min focus than .6 m and at f1.4 so I can see the benefits to the ii version vs original asph.

Thanks much.  Good thread.

Robb

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Here's a portrait at f1.4 and 0.45 m focusing distance: 

 

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Another one with f1.4 close focus: 

 

Edited by Safa
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On 5/31/2024 at 4:37 PM, AndrewLT said:

(But I'd still be very interested to hear any thoughts about the resolution of the new version versus the original Asph away from the centre of the frame and not just at the edges.)

Thanks .... Andrew

 

If it’s not too late: I don’t know about the resolution performance of the Summilux ASPH v1, but compared to a Summicron 50 v5, which I considered a crisp lens at f8, this new Summilux ASHP v2 is even sharper. There is a noticeable difference in file size, as if the lens is catering for every pixel on the sensor ☺️

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Some examples taken at f5.6–f8. Usually my sharpness setting in Lightroom is just 40. Click to see the original sizes in Flickr:

 

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